Evolution and Adoption of Conservation Agriculture in the Middle East

Loss, S. P.; Haddad, Atef; Khalil, Yaseen; Alrijabo, Abdulsattar Asmair; Feindel, David; Piggin, C.

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-11620-4_9

Cited by 13 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 27 publications

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“…In the West Asian and North African regions, there is some evidence that no-till systems with stubble retention have increased soil organic matter and wheat yields more often than not in field experiments compared with the conventional systems (Mrabet et al 2012;Loss et al 2015). In a study on stony hillsides in Morocco however, only small increases in grain yields and water use efficiency were measured (Schwilch et al 2013).…”

Section: Relative Contributions-management and Breedingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Addressing the yield gap in rainfed crops: a review

Anderson

Johansen

Siddique

2016

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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The problems and challenges of rapidly increasing world population, global climate change, shortages of water suitable for irrigation and degradation of agricultural land are increasing the demand to improve grain production from rainfed arable lands. Specific challenges include estimating the size and thus the value of the yield gap, identifying the factors limiting current average production and designing profitable remedial strategies for a range of agro-ecological regions. This review of the rainfall-limited potential yields and the gap between actual or average yields of cereal and legume crops and the rainfall-limited potential indicates that there is still substantial room to increase the average yield of crops in rainfed systems in both developed and developing regions. The review has indicated that (1) the size of the gap between average and potential yields varies according to the agro-ecological zone and the available technologies from about 0.5 to over 5 t/ha, leaving considerable scope for future yield improvement; (2) there is relatively less information applicable at the farm or field scale that assesses the spatial and temporal variability of the yield gap, the reasons for the gap and the possible methods to close the gap; (3) there is also limited information on the feasibility and profitability of applying various approaches to close the gap, including tactical and strategic management practices and plant breeding; (4) the evidence of the impact of the components of conservation agriculture on crop yields in a wide range of agro-ecological regions supports the adoption of zero tillage and crop rotation but is less clear in support of residue retention; (5) objective identification and testing of factors that limit production can lead to a rational sequence of amelioration that is specific to each agro-ecological or field situation and can close the yield gap in winter-dominant rainfall environments; and (6) farmerparticipatory varietal selection, including breeding for specific adaptation can make a substantial contribution to closing the gap in a range of environments. A common observation from the reports reviewed here is that sustainable yield improvement will need to employ a range of methods that are appropriate to specific agro-ecological conditions-previous approaches based on single inputs, practices or genotypes can only be partial solutions.

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Section: Relative Contributions-management and Breedingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Addressing the yield gap in rainfed crops: a review

Anderson

Johansen

Siddique

2016

Agron. Sustain. Dev.

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“…Legumes can be inserted into crop rotations in various ways depending on the production system, sitespecific needs, farmer capabilities, and the amount of precipitation received. As conservation agriculture gains momentum in the dryland areas, there is potential for better integration of forage legumes into cereal based-cropping systems [11]. Based on one of three principles of conservation agriculture, diverse rotations, farmers are encouraged to grow forages legumes to avoid pest and weed pressures and improve soil quality.…”

Section: Forage Legumes In Crop-livestock Farming In Non-tropical Drymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the dryland farming system of the Mediterranean region, several long-term barley-and wheatbased rotation experiments evaluated the value of forage legumes [11] [2]. Results demonstrated that forage and grain legumes are excellent alternatives to continuous cereal cultivation or cereal-fallow rotations in Mediterranean-type climate areas, leading to more efficient and sustainable cropping systems.…”

Section: Forage Legumes In Crop-livestock Farming In Non-tropical Drymentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable development of smallholder crop-livestock farming in developing countries

Ateş

Çiçek

Bell

et al. 2018

IOP Conf. Ser.: Earth Environ. Sci.

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Meeting the growing demand for animal-sourced food, prompted by population growth and increases in average per-capita income in low-income countries, is a major challenge. Yet, it also presents significant potential for agricultural growth, economic development, and reduction of poverty in rural areas. The main constraints to livestock producers taking advantage of growing markets include; lack of forage and feed gaps, communal land tenure, limited access to land and water resources, weak institutions, poor infrastructure and environmental degradation. To improve rural livelihood and food security in smallholder crop-livestock farming systems, concurrent work is required to address issues regarding efficiency of production, risk within systems and development of whole value chain systems. This paper provides a review of several forage basedstudies in tropical and non-tropical dry areas of the developing countries. A central tenet of this paper is that forages have an essential role in agricultural productivity, environmental sustainability and livestock nutrition in smallholder mixed farming systems.

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“…In the period prior to the revolution (2008-2011), there were claims that over 30,000 ha in Syria was under no-till systems [21,[45][46][47][48]. How much of this was influenced through incentives provided by donor funds (gratis use of machinery and equipment, complimentary seed distribution, etc.)…”

Section: Enhancing Broad Adoption Of Ca Through Lessons Learnedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Potential for Conservation Agriculture in the Dry Marginal Zone of Central Syria: A Preliminary Assessment

Lalani

Aleter²,

Kassam

et al. 2018

Sustainability

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This paper reports on early soil related outcomes from conservation agriculture (CA) benchmark sites located within the marginal rainfed environment of agro-ecological zone 4 (annual rainfall: 200-250 mm) in pre-conflict central Syria. The outcomes reported are specifically those that relate to beneficial soil quality and water retention attributes relative to conventional tillage-based soil management practices applied to the fodder barley-livestock system, the dominant system in the zone. On-farm operational research was established to examine the impact of a barley (Hordeum vulgare) and vetch (Vicia sativa) rotation intercropped with atriplex (Atriplex halimus) and salsola (Salsola collina), under CA and conventional tillage agriculture, on the soil quality parameters and crop productivity. Preliminary results showed that CA had a positive effect on the soil quality parameters and crop performance. The soil moisture and hydraulic conductivity were higher under CA (p < 0.05), combined with improved productivity (grain and above-ground biomass) under specific crop mixes. The results suggest that despite the marginal nature of the zone, the use of CA is a viable option for the future of farmers' livelihoods within similar localities and agro-climates, given the benefits for soil moisture and grain and straw productivity. In addition, it is likely to positively impact those in marginal environments where both pastoralism and agro-pastoralism production systems co-exist and compete for crop biomass as a main source of livestock feed. The increase in grain and straw yields vis-à-vis improvements in biophysical parameters in the CA system relative to tillage agriculture does suggest, however, that the competition with livestock for biomass is likely to reduce over time, and farmers would be able to return increased levels of straw (as stubble and residue) as mulch, given improved biomass yields.

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Evolution and Adoption of Conservation Agriculture in the Middle East

Cited by 13 publications

References 27 publications

Addressing the yield gap in rainfed crops: a review

Addressing the yield gap in rainfed crops: a review

Sustainable development of smallholder crop-livestock farming in developing countries

Potential for Conservation Agriculture in the Dry Marginal Zone of Central Syria: A Preliminary Assessment

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